Why confidence matters as much as skills for career success

Confidence is as important as qualifications or skills to predict someone’s career trajectory, according to workplace experts speaking on the latest University of Reading podcast.

Dr Naeema Pasha, founder of the World of Work Institute at Henley Business School, said ‘self-efficacy’, or someone’s belief that they are capable of doing the task in front of them, matters more than ever as working lives get longer. 

Dr Pasha was speaking alongside Martin Morales, chief executive of the Institute of Imagination and founder of Ceviche, on the second episode of Reading Ahead, a new eight-part podcast series. Hosted by University Chancellor Paul Lindley, the series explores how ideas linked to University of Reading research and expertise are shaping the biggest questions facing society.

The guests discussed how artificial intelligence will increasingly handle data and knowledge, but not the human qualities that sit alongside them. 

"AI doesn't live, it doesn't have any experience," said Dr Pasha, a visiting fellow at Henley Business School. "It's not danced, it's not eaten great food." 

She and Morales listed imagination, judgement and critical thinking, empathy and compassion, and adaptability as the skills young people and workers of all ages will need most as AI reshapes the workplace.

Building career capital

The conversation also set out the case for rethinking what a sustainable career looks like as people are required to work for longer, often out of necessity rather than choice. Dr Pasha said long-term career sustainability depends on more than technical skill. Health, financial security, relationships, purpose and psychological capacity all form personal capital that needs to be built and maintained, and which is not accumulated equally across society. The theme forms the basis of her recent white paper, A 100 Year Career.

Morales, who arrived in the UK as a child refugee from Peru, said resilience and adaptability had shaped his own career, which has spanned the music industry, Apple, and children's education charity work. 

He pointed to imagination as central to navigating an AI-driven world, saying: “AI generates the answers, but how do we create the questions?"

Both guests questioned whether current measures of success, including GDP, productivity or exam results, capture what actually matters in terms of building a fulfilled life, pointing to alternative measures such as the four-day working week and "gross national happiness" gaining ground elsewhere.

• Reading Ahead episode two is available now on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and YouTube.
• Read Dr Pasha's white paper, A 100 Year Career.